1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a temperature monitor comprising an electronic paper display.
2. Background Information
Electronic paper displays are well known. Also known are e-paper displays and electronic ink displays, electronic paper displays comprise an electronically active ink. Applying a voltage to the ink causes the appearance of the display to be changed.
For example, in an electrophoretic display, colored charged particles (having sizes on the micron scale) are dispersed in a liquid, such as oil. The particles may be white and the liquid may be dark. The liquid is sandwiched between two electrodes. Applying a voltage across the two electrodes creates an electrical field that causes the charged particles to move towards or away from the upper, transparent electrode. The areas of the upper electrode corresponding to where the white particles are positioned will appear lighter than those areas where only the dark oil is visible. In bistable displays, the particles will remain in their positions even after the voltage has been removed. This allows such electronic paper displays to consume very little electricity.
In some electrophoretic displays, light and dark oppositely charged particles are encapsulated in a plurality of microcapsules, which are dispersed in a clear liquid. Applying a voltage across the upper electrode causes the positively charged particles to move, within the microcapsule, towards the negatively charged electrode and the negatively charged particles, within the microcapsule, towards the positively charged electrode. Some displays use three (or more) different color particles, to provide a color display.
Other examples of electronic paper displays use electrowetting or electrofluidic systems.